There has been much talk about the very poor boarding process, and also of the changes proposed recently by BA. Now that it's had some time to get rolled out and adopted by gate staff, I though I'd ask and see if anyone has seen an improvement...

I think the issue is worst on short haul flights, particularly on flights to Scotland where everyone has EC status. Since the new process was announced on perhaps 15 flights so far, only twice have the gate staff announced that premier cabins board first, followed by Golds, and then Silver & Bronze. On both those occasions it was the usual scrum with no enforcement of policy. This morning I asked the gate manager why it wasn't enforced. He said it was a waste of time and allowing passengers with no status/low status to board out of sequence was quicker than sending them to the back of the queue...

It's all quite frustrating, and if even the American carriers can manage an ordered and fair boarding process, why can't BA who pride themselves of having highly trained and professional staff?

 

I think in reality it will continue to happen that way. It seems to be a cultural UK thing that as soon as you give a shiny card (of any colour) to someone, they automatically become the most important person on the plane and it brings out the worst in people.

The staff are in a bit of a hard place really, they're damned if they do and damned if they don't. Either they enforce it rigorously and likely end up with a whole load of hassle for their trouble, or they take the path of least resistance and nothing changes.

I thought that golds and business+ cabins got to board at the same time.

 

Isnt today the first official day of it? If so its probably a little early to judge.

Some of the trials have been in place for the last few weeks and some of them have been more successful that others in my opinion

 

Flew from LBA at 9.30 am. Plane was heaving. No seating by rows. I asked the cabin crew- apparently 'the memo must not have hit the provinces yet"

Didn't hear any priority boarding call but there may have been one. They were yellow tagging bags as usual there. Some disquiet as people with only 1 bag were having it yellow tagged and in some cases these were pretty big bags (including a trunki).

 

LBA has never had any kind of priority boarding for BA. I don't expect that to change and I imagine the new process will not be implemented at LBA.

Btw good to hear about the full flight

 

Was wondering if that was a result of the kids fly free deal, then I read this..

I'll assume it's a yes.

 

I have had priority boarding called there- I recall one time when it went from gate past the lounge (not gate 9) . I only recall as by chance I met old colleagues in the queue and so didn't move forward when they called it. I think it was a delayed flight.

I wonder if they won't be boarding by rows at all there ?

Cant be doing that well. They have cancelled our Monday pm flight next week. We are going on the 9pm instead.

 

Ok. I have never seen priority boarding at LBA. over the last few years and I have done a few flight.

 

Just looked- it was in April.

 

You mean a few hours? Today is the day it gets implemented so probably a bit premature to be having the inquest, post mortem, review etc etc.

 

I flew LHR-LIS this morning. At Bag Drop, they were yellow tagging and checking cabin bag sizes. Boarding was called in the new format, including splitting the final group into the back then the front rows of ET. It did genuinely seem pretty smooth, there was some spare overhead locker space and we pushed back on time.

This could all have been coincidental, of course!

 

Oh ok. Never experienced priorty boarding at LBA. April is one month this year I didn't do a departure from LBA. The flights seem to leave by a mixture of gate 9 and gate 8 over the leats few months, and I could only see priority boarding working from gate 9.

 

No I agree it was unusual. I usually rock up quite late though.

 

I would be surprised if this doesn't slow things down a bit until the self-entitled understand that shiny plastic marketing cards don't really make them particularly special, are beat back.

For a while, there will still be people holding up the line assuring staff that they will take all their GBP Millions of business elsewhere if they can't board with their two steamer trunks.

 

Boarding the BA780 yesterday, the new Priority Boarding signs where in place and they boarded as per the new rules, which are:

CE first, then Gold/emerald, then Silver/Saphire and finally Bronze/Ruby.

Bording was a bliss, In that I didn't have a hord of economy PAX ahead of me.

bjorns